Will you help us give five young lions, victims of the illegal pet trade in Kuwait, a new life at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary?
The lions were either seized, captured after being dumped, or voluntarily surrendered, and are now in custody at the closed Kuwait Zoo. We are thankful to the staff and volunteers who have been caring for them until a home could be found. They heard how ADI had rescued Ruben from another closed zoo and asked for our help.
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Tuesday began as a beautiful summer’s day with barely a breeze. Then, shortly after 3pm the sky darkened and huge storm barreled into the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary with incredibly powerful winds, the level of which we have not experienced before. The wind tore the roofs off the lion houses belonging to Rey Cusco in Stephanides Habitat and Chino and Coco in Kornberg Habitat. The lions were hunkered down in their expansive main habitats, safe and seemingly unbothered by the weather. The ADIWS team checked that all the animals were safe, the free-ranging donkeys, farm animals and everyone in the lion and tiger habitats was secure.
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Seeing Kiara (left) and Africa sitting in the shade from the South African summer surrounded by lush grass and flowers, it’s hard to believe they were rescued from a tiny circus cage in the middle of the desert in Peru. The circus holding Africa, Kiara and their mother, Muñeca, had evaded ADI for months until we tracked them down in northern Peru near the border with Ecuador. The circus made a run for it and a dramatic chase ensued with the rescue almost thwarted when a herd of goats blocked the ADI team vehicles from crossing a bridge. But the circus was finally cornered in a small village and the three lionesses and two capuchin monkeys were rescued.
The monkeys went to an Amazon forest sanctuary in ADI care, Muñeca enjoyed many years reunited with Leo, and Africa and Kiara enjoy the 5-acre Davis Habitat you see stretching out behind them (Dad Leo is their neighbor).
We went live on Facebook from the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary for veterinary day. Dr Peter Caldwell checked up on some of the lions and tigers rescued by ADI from circuses and zoos around the world. First up was Ruben who was rescued from a private zoo in Armenia last year. Ruben arrived with extreme mobility difficulties and Dr Caldwell is overseeing a regime to improve his walking and all round movement. After a thorough examination of Ruben, he was really pleased with his progress. Ruben has been cleared to start using his bigger half-acre habitat. The grass slopes leading up to the viewing platform will be good for Ruben’s muscles. Watch the live of Ruben’s checkup here.
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It’s sundown at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa and lionesses Kiara and Africa are inseparable as they patrol the 5-acre Davis Habitat in the fading light. Occasionally pausing to play or to chase after a mongoose or ground squirrel before it disappears underground, they check out their territory.
It’s almost ten years since ADI rescued Africa and Kiara from a tiny, circus cage in the desert region of Peru.
Our very best wishes for a Happy Holiday from all of us at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, with our grateful thanks for your support during 2023! At the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa, our rescued lions, tigers, donkeys, goats, pigs, sheep, and cow are already into their presents.
Our big cat residents at ADIWS enjoy large natural habitats where they can explore, stalk, chase small wildlife, sleep, or play but like all cats, they love anything interesting and new, especially new toys!
Thank you to everyone who contributed towards their festive treats, you can see here:
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We’d like to start with news of a new addition to our ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in time for Christmas. One of our family of donkeys has given birth to a beautiful foal. She has been checked by the veterinarian and is doing well.
The donkeys came to the sanctuary in May after being abandoned at a holiday lodge which had closed. ADIWS does not allow breeding, so Christopher the male was neutered on arrival. However, nobody knew the status of the females, and a donkey pregnancy can last up to 14 months! We did suspect that one female looked rather round and are delighted to welcome a new baby to the donkey family, being called Nugget.
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The injuries inflicted on circus survivors like Lupe, Sasha lioness, and Simba can follow them for life and they need special care at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary.
Tigress Lupe suffers seizures due to malnutrition and inbreeding in a circus in Guatemala. Our team gives her medications each day, and she is monitored in case of any problems.
Sasha suffered a brutal declawing operation in a Guatemalan circus, which led to cancer and spreading up her leg. In our care, she had ground-breaking surgery removing diseased bone and replacing it with a titanium implant. She is now pain free but years painfully limping in the circus saw her tendons shorten and now our team’s priority these days is giving Sasha physiotherapy with different toys and treats encouraging her to use her titanium leg.
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Our ADI Wildlife Sanctuary Resident Welfare Team (RWT) continues to spend time each week with our rescued lions and tigers. Here, Ernest sits with brothers Coco and Chino, rescued from a circus in Peru – their friend Kesari can be seen in the background. Bonding time is part of our work to build trust with our big cat residents. This helps us to better care for them, especially when there are medical issues.
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Tomas & Kimba hit the news! Both were born in a circus cage in Guatemala, torn apart as cubs with Tomas sent to a zoo, then both rescued by ADI and reunited at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa. Their heart-warming story features as a full page in The Daily Star, on page 3 of the Daily Express, and also in the Daily Mirror!
ADI Wildlife Sanctuary 